Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The
Imminent Abortion Legalization in Brazil: the Pope Has Spoken… That It Was Not
Necessary to Speak!

By Julio
Severo

The international
media has been in frenzy about pope’s statements on homosexuality. Usually,
when Christians speak about homosexual issues, the media do not forgive: the
barrage of attacks is endless. I have been a victim of such attacks, and I have
written many articles defending (Catholic and Protestant) Christians under such
attacks.

In the pope’s
case, there were no attacks. Apparently, some of his words were misrepresented.
But, overall, he was celebrated by the international press.

I will not focus
on the controversy of his remarks about homosexuality and how reporters have chosen
to see it. I am not concerned about what the pope said after his trip to
Brazil. My concern involves what he did not speak in Brazil.

During his trip,
my Catholic pro-life friends were desperately trying to get to the pope to ask
his special assistance against a pro-abortion bill which was passed in the
Brazilian Congress recently. Was the pope’s visit providential to help the
pro-life cause?

I wrote two recent
articles on the pope and abortion in Brazil. One
of them said that “socialist Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is about to
sign into law a pro-abortion bill, and the pope did not address any specific
message about this urgent situation in Brazil. He left Brazil without speaking
up against this imminent threat.”

Why did not he
speak? Did not he know it? There were many doubts among Brazilian pro-lifers,
including me.

After my last
article on the pope and abortion in Brazil, a Catholic friend in Norway sent me
a reliable original Spanish answer by the pope about this specific issue,
published in the prominent Catholic news site AciPrensa.
The pope gave this significant answer in his flight back from Brazil. The
translated into English was published by CatholicVote:

Journalist:Brazilian society has changed, young
people have changed. You have not spoken about abortion nor about marriage
between people of the same sex. In Brazil they have approved a law that extends
abortion rights and another one that allows marriage between people of the same
sex. Why have you not spoken about that?

Pope Francis:The Church has clearly spoken about that,
it is not necessary to go over it again, as it’s not necessary to talk about
fraud, lying or other things about which the church has a clear doctrine. It is
not necessary to talk about that, but about positive things that open the road
for the young ones. Besides, young
people know perfectly well what is the Church’s position about this.

So probably the
pope knew about the abortion bill that Rousseff is about to sign into law. If
he did not know before, he learnt about it when he left Brazil and was
interviewed. His answer was just “The Church has clearly spoken about that, it
is not necessary to go over it again.”

As an
evangelical Christian involved for more than twenty five years in the pro-life
movement, I know it. Through Pope John II, especially his excellent encyclical The Gospel of Life, the Catholic Church
has clearly spoken on the defense of life.

Other Catholics
have also spoken magnificently on behalf of life. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, in
a prayer breakfast with former President Bill Clinton, rebuked him for his
pro-abortion stance some twenty years ago.

Clinton was a
Baptist. Yet, even not being a Catholic, he knew the universal Christian
teaching, which is essentially pro-life. Did not Mother Teresa need to rebuke
him because “The Church has clearly spoken about that, it is not necessary to
go over it again”?

So, because
Brazil is the largest Catholic nation in the world, did not the pope need to
address directly the abortion issue with the Brazilian people and Rousseff
because “The Church has clearly spoken about that, it is not necessary to go
over it again,” even though she is about to sign it into law?

By the way,
Catholic pro-lifers in Brazil should not also address directly the abortion
issue with Rousseff and the Brazilian Congress because “The Church has clearly
spoken about that, it is not necessary to go over it again.”

Yes, the
Catholic Church has clearly spoken about this issue. The Gospel of Life is a proof. But is not it necessary to address
it directly to a president who is about to sign abortion in law? Is not it necessary
to preach the Gospel of Life over and over and over?

I do not know
what my pro-life Catholic friends will now do, but I will keep preaching the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to give abundant life.

Monday, July 29, 2013

The
Pope, Homosexuality and Abortion in Brazil

By Julio
Severo

As reported
by Daily Mail, “The pope has said that he ‘will not judge’ gay priests. Speaking
to reporters on a flight back from his week-long visit to sexually permissive
Brazil, Pope Francis said he ‘would not stand in judgment’ of gays in the
Vatican and that they should not be discriminated against. The pontiff’s
remarks about gays mark a more conciliatory approach than his predecessor.
Benedict signed a document in 2005 saying that men with deep-rooted homosexual
tendencies should not be priests.”

Speech about not
judging gay priests is a surprise, considering that the massive scandal
involving pedophilia in the Catholic Church is largely linked to homosexuality
among priests.

But the bigger
surprise, at least to pro-life leaders in Brazil, is that socialist Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff is about to sign into law a pro-abortion bill, and the
pope did not address any specific message about this urgent situation in
Brazil. He left Brazil without speaking up against this imminent threat.

As an evangelical
Christian, I think that the pope could make his controversial remark on
homosexuality in another time. The absolute priority right now is to speak up against
the imminence of abortion legalization in Brazil.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Archbishop
Tutu: Rather Go to Hell Than Go to a Homophobic Heaven

South
Africa’s retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who is engaged in international
anti-“homophobia” UN campaign, says he will never worship a “homophobic God”

By Julio
Severo

The former
Archbishop of Cape Town, who has been considered the moral conscience of South
Africa, spoke last week at the launch of a UN-backed campaign in South Africa
to promote gay rights.

Desmond Tutu

“I would refuse
to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather
go to the other place,” Anglican Archbishop Tutu said, as reported by BBC, at the launch
of the Free and Equal campaign in Cape Town.

“I would not
worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this.”

Tutu, 81, is a long-standing
international campaigner for the gay agenda and he told BBC that he is
passionate about this UN campaign against “homophobia.”

Tutu would not
need to fight “homophobia” in heaven. In fact, he would see no “homophobia” in
heaven, because there is no homosexual there. In the presence of God there are
only people delivered from a past life of sins, including homosexuality.

Of course, if,
as gay supremacists preach, “homophobia” is criticism of homosexuality, then
Tutu will not want to go to heaven, which is under the rule of the One who is
the author of all condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible.

Besides, Tutu
would not be pleased to hear from God that he was in truth a very immoral
conscience for South Africa by his support of what God calls abomination. In
His Word, this is the name God uses to mention homosexuality:

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is
an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22 ESV)

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor
the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom
of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV)

God loves
homosexual sinners, but he hates homosexual sin.

Yet, there is a
place where Tutu can go. In Hell Tutu’s campaigning would be most needed,
because Satan loves violence against humans — all humans — including
homosexuals. In Hell, Tutu could fight Satan’s “homophobia.”

Satan loves
homosexuality, but he hates homosexuals. In the presence of Satan there are
people not delivered from a past life of sins, including homosexuality.

Certainly, Tutu
will feel comfortable in Hell and in the presence of Satan, the author of all violence
and persecution against God’s people who warn sinners about their sins,
including homosexuality, which lead to hell. Satan hates all God’s condemnation
of homosexuality, which he and his satanic religions welcome.

Afro-Brazilian
religions, similar to voodoo and Santeria with their African gods and spirits,
welcome homosexuality and prostitution. These religions are perfect for Tutu
and UN.

Instead of
helping people to be delivered from their hell-bound sins, Tutu is helping UN
to maintain homosexuals in their sins.

UN human rights
chief Navi Pillay said gay and lesbian people in South Africa got some of the
best legal rights in the world since Nelson Mandela began to rule in 1994.
Today South Africa, under Mandela’s African National Congress, stands out in
the African continent for its dedication to the gay agenda.

Desmond Tutu is the
chairman of the “Elders,” a group composed by 12 “apostles.” In compliance
with the UN goals, the “Elders” campaign against female exclusion from church
leadership. In the same way, Tutu works against the exclusion of practicing
homosexual from pastoral ministry. Years ago, he endorsed
the Presbyterian Church of Scotland’s decision of ordaining gay ministers.

Former Brazilian
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso is one of the Elders and, in Brazil, he is
one of the most important leaders in the socialist party PSDB.

Tutu has been a model
to some Protestant ministers in Brazil, including apostates Caio Fábio, Ricardo
Gondim and Ed Rene Kivitz, who wrote the preface of his book in Portuguese. Kivitz
has been one of the leaders of the Theology of Integral Mission, which is
the Protestant version of Liberation Theology. Tutu’s book in Portuguese was
launched by Thomas Nelson, which belongs to HarperCollins, publisher of the
Satanic Bible.

In this realm,
Tutu is among brothers.

Another Tutu
adherent in Brazil is Rev. Carlos Bezerra, also a leader in PSDB, who recently
was exposed for attacking Christians who are in the frontlines against the gay
agenda. His argument is that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality negatively in
the Gospels. He finished his argument by saying: “Hail, Desmond Tutu! With him,
I am in tune, today and forever.”

To it, Tutu
would answer, “Hell for you too, brother Bezerra! Our Godphobic place is
waiting for us!”

Saturday, July 27, 2013

The
Pope and Abortion in Brazil

Brazilian
president is about to enact pro-abortion law, and the pope does not know about
it

By Julio
Severo

A bill protecting
victims of sexual violence was passed by stealth in the Brazilian Congress
recently. There is no problem in laws protecting such victims. But pro-abortion
groups praised it because it will effectively legalize abortion in Brazil. It
will enforce another law that says that to get an abortion is enough for a
woman to say that she was a victim of rape. There is no need of medical and
legal evidence. Any woman can get an abortion by alleging violence.

Pope Francis and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff

This bill, the
way it is, helps more abortion than victims of sexual violence. Now, it waits
official enactment by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, a fervent socialist
who, nevertheless, seeks not to antagonize her massive Catholic population.

Pro-life groups
throughout Brazil are pressing the Catholic National Conference of Bishops of
Brazil (NCBB) to convince Rousseff not to enact the pro-abortion bill. But NCBB,
traditionally aligned with many of the Liberation
Theology tenets, has been divided about an opposition to the bill.

Rousseff will
react according to the popular mobilization she sees. She is seeing some small Catholic
and evangelical groups opposing. She is seeing NCBB divided. And in this urgent
context, where abortion can be legalized at any moment, the pope comes to visit
Brazil!

Just one word
from Pope Francis asking Rousseff not to enact the abortion law would be more
than enough for her to comply with his wishes. His word represents the will of
millions of Catholics, and Brazil is the largest Catholic nation in the world.

But largely
leftist NCBB has not informed the pope about the urgent issue. Brazilian pro-life
leaders are trying to get to the pope to ask his help, but even in this case,
under the alarm of learning about the desperate situation in Brazil, the pope
could eventually get disoriented by seeking additional information directly
from the most important Catholic hierarchy in Brazil: NCBB.

Rousseff is with
her pen in her hand, ready to sign into law the pro-abortion bill, but she is
waiting. If the pope speaks up, pro-abortion groups will suffer
inevitable defeat. If the pope leaves Brazil without speaking up, pro-life
groups will have a hard time to explain about the urgency and importance of the
pro-abortion bill. After all, if it is
so pressing, why did not the pope speak up?

Rousseff and
Brazil are waiting the specific pro-life words by the pope on the pro-abortion bill
that she is about to sign into law.

If the pope
leaves Brazil without such words, the Catholic National Conference of Bishops
of Brazil will have innocent blood in its hands.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Muslim
Dinner at White House

By Julio
Severo

According to CBNNews,
President Barack Obama praised the accomplishments of Muslims in America at his
fifth annual Iftar dinner. The event, hosted at the White House Thursday, is an
observance of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan.

While the Muslim ideology kills Christians around the world, Obama praises it at White House

“Throughout our
history Islam has contributed to the character of our country, and Muslim
Americans and their good works have helped to build our nation and we have seen
the results,” Obama said.

The Muslim tradition
at the White House was not begun by Obama. It began under President Bill
Clinton and was continued by President George W. Bush.

This is a
departure from the Christian character of America by Democratic and Republican
presidents. Islam was a strong reality in the time of the Founders, but no one
of them thought of hosting a Muslim observance, especially at the White House.

And especially because,
whether in the past or present, the Muslim ideology is the main source of
persecution and martyrdom for Christians around the world. There is no logical reason
for America, a nation founded by persecuted Christians, to celebrate a
religious ideology with Christian blood in its hands.

According to
Paul Marshall, in the book “Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians” (Thomas
Nelson, p. 123), “The most widespread persecution of Christians today takes
place in the Muslim world, and it is spreading and intensifying.”

Marshall points
out that “Even though the remaining Communist countries persecute the most
Christians, it is in the Muslim world where persecution of Christians is now
most widespread, intense, and, ominously, increasing” (p. 11).

Before their
foolish decision of hosting a celebration for an anti-Christian ideology, Clinton,
Bush and Obama should have consulted the surviving victims of this ideology.

And the White
House, with its past Christian history, should do more for persecuted Christians,
including the Romeike family who, like the Pilgrims, fled Europe because of
persecution against their Christian convictions. But, different of the Pilgrims,
the German family did not find the same America to welcome them in their
plight.

Monday, July 22, 2013

R.C.
Sproul: There Is No True Prophecy Today

By Julio
Severo

According to Charisma magazine, Calvinist theologian Dr. R.C. Sproul says he
was “deeply immersed” in charismatic circles in the 1960s and that after
receiving about 50 false prophecies, he said to himself, “You know, I’m going
to live my life by what it says in the Word, because I know the Spirit has
superintended that.”

So, with his bad
experience with prophecy, Dr. Sproul concluded that there is no genuine gift of
prophecy for today.

By coincidence,
his personal bad experience aligns itself with a strong theological view in
many Calvinist circles: the belief that God does not grant today supernatural
gifts as healings, speaking in tongues, prophecies and other miracles.
Cessationism. Apparently, all because they had bad experiences.

Have Calvinist
theologians bad luck?

I see Calvinist
churches ordaining gays, supporting abortion and boycotts against Israel,
especially in Europe and America. Should I conclude that Calvinist churches are
not genuine Christian churches?

I have often
heard Bible misrepresentations by Jehovah’s Witnesses and similar groups.
Should I conclude that the Bible leads to heresy?

Twenty years
ago, I received a prophetic word in a prayer meeting in Brasilia. The word said
that my name would be known throughout Brazil. I had never asked for it. Even
after this prophetic experience, I did not begin to pray for it.

But it came to
pass. Years later, I had a book published by the Brazilian branch of Bethany
House Publishers. My book, “O Movimento Homossexual” (The Homosexual Movement).
was written under prophetic inspiration.

Of course, I
have heard misrepresentations of the gift of prophecy, in the same way I have
heard misrepresentations of the Bible. My way to deal with misrepresentations
is to know how to test and examine. After all, the Bible teaches us: “Do not despise prophecies, but a test
everything.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20,21 ESV) It teaches to examine what is
preached in the name of the Bible and what is prophesied in the name of God.

The cessationist
stance has strong disagreements among Calvinists, because there are Calvinists
who believe that God has never ceased His gifts.

Calvinist
theologian Dr. J. Rodman Williams, in his “Renewal Theology: Systematic
Theology from a Charismatic Perspective” (Zondervan), said, “God, the living
God, is the God of revelation. He is ready to grant through His Spirit a spirit
of revelation and wisdom for a deeper knowledge of Christ and also through
revelation and prophecy to speak to His people. God has not changed in His
desire to communicate directly with those who belong to Him.”

His stance open
to the Holy Spirit is a stark contrast with the cessationist stance of Dr.
Sproul. There are Calvinists in both camps.

I am not a
Calvinist, but I am in Dr. Williams’ camp.

I find no Bible
support to reject when God wants to direct or speak to us today through prophecy.
I follow a “Sola Scriptura” which means “only the Bible,” but I fear that when
some theologians mention “Sola Scriptura” (only Scripture) what they mean is
“Sola Theologia” (only theology). Nothing else.

After years
living only in Sweden, you begin to speak Swedish. After years living and
believing only in God’s Word, you begin to live its reality, especially the
reality of its Author. This is real “Sola Scriptura.” But after years living
and believing only in theology, you begin to think and speak it. This is “Sola
Theologia,” often misunderstood as “Sola Scriptura.”

Outside the arid
fields of certain theological misinterpretations of God’s action and guidance,
opportunities are vast for people open to Him and His living Word.

Years ago, I met
George Otis. His father had met Ronald Reagan in his ranch in 1970. In the
presence of singer Pat Boone, a charismatic Christian, he delivered a prophetic
word to Reagan: “God will raise you up as president of the United States.” If
Reagan had had bad luck, later he could also tell about his bad experiences
with prophecy.

There is no
president, in Brazil or other nation, that I admire most than Reagan. As a teen
in the 1980s, I defended Reagan while my peers were taught by media to hate
him. Poor Reagan was portrayed as the cause for all problems in the world. Yet,
he was my hero. I had always felt something from God about him, and when I met
Otis, I had a confirmation about my inklings.

In the words of
Paul Kengor, Reagan was a “crusader” against communism. How could not I admire
such brave man when I also fight the Marxist heresy in Brazil?

But I doubt that
I would be able to nurture this admiration among Brazilian Calvinist apologists
today.

In the Brazilian
Protestant churches, the defense of socialist ideology has been spearheaded by
Calvinist apologists. By contrast, the conservative resistance has been
spearheaded by neo-charismatics, who are fearlessly fighting the abortion and
sodomy agenda.

One of the
leading Calvinist leaders in Brazil is Ariovaldo Ramos, who is a former director
of World Vision in Brazil. He has publicly praised the late Venezuelan Marxist
dictator Hugo Chávez, whom he said he met sometimes. Ramos has led efforts to
criticize neo-charismatic leaders, including Pentecostal minister Marco
Feliciano, who has been viciously attacked by the mainstream media in Brazil
for his vocal stances against abortion and sodomy. Ramos is considered by the
Brazilian evangelical Left as a “prophet” of the Theology of Integral Mission,
the Protestant version of the Marxist Liberation Theology.

There are not many
neo-charismatic theologians in Brazil. In fact, I do not know anyone. But there
are many conservatives among them. On the other hand, there are many
theologians in the Calvinist churches in Brazil, but not many conservative
leaders. Should we conclude that Calvinist theology brings bad luck to
churches?

Calvinist
apologists in Brazil have spearheaded the fight to promote liberalism and
socialism and, at the same time, the fight against neo-charismatics.
Cessationism and Theology of Integral Mission are their passion, and the
neo-charismatic growth is their hate. So should we conclude that Calvinism is
false Christianity by their bad example in Brazil?

The largest
Presbyterian denomination in America is ordaining homosexuals and committing
other abominations. Should we conclude that Calvinism leads to apostasy?

You do not need
prophetic guiding to understand that Marxism is a heresy. In Brazil, it is the
most powerful heresy affecting the churches. Orestes Brownson (1803–1876), who
was raised a Calvinist and converted himself to Catholicism, was probably the
first Christian to warn America about the perils of the Marxist heresy.

If church
leaders do not want to hear what God has to say in His own terms and conditions,
they will see their flocks leaving, as Brownson did.

Regardless the
bad experiences of Sproul and other Calvinists, God speaks today. If they gave
more attention to God through His gifts, they would be more able to resist to
the socialist onslaught against the church and society.

I
am not worried just about the US surveillance. I am worried also that the
Brazilian socialist government will now use the US intrusions as a pretext to
ask UN intrusions in the nations. So a US wicked act will lead to a Brazilian
wicked act.

As
a Christian, I am opposed to the wicked acts by the US and Brazil, especially
their love for the gay agenda.

Read
now the DailyMail report:

Snowden
says NSA 'in bed' with most Western states as Brazil also complains about
surveillance by U.S. spy agencies

By Reuters Reporter and Daily
Mail Reporter

Fugitive whistleblower Edward
Snowden says America’s National Security Agency is ‘in bed’ with Germany and
other Western states, while Brazil is demanding an explanation from the U.S.
over reports that its citizens have been under surveillance for at least a
decade.

America's National Security Agency
works closely with Germany and other Western states on a 'no questions
asked'-basis, former NSA employee Snowden said in comments that undermine
Chancellor Angela Merkel's indignant talk of ‘Cold War’ tactics.

‘They are in bed with the Germans,
just like with most other Western states,’ German magazine Der Spiegel quotes
him as saying in an interview published on Sunday that was carried out before
he fled to Hong Kong in May and divulged details of extensive secret U.S.
surveillance.

Outspoken 'hero': Fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden says America's National Security Agency is 'in bed' with Germany and other Western states

‘Other agencies don't ask us where
we got the information from and we don't ask them. That way they can protect
their top politicians from the backlash in case it emerges how massively
people's privacy is abused worldwide,’ he said.

Snowden’s comments about
cooperation with governments overseas, which he said were led by the NSA's
Foreign Affairs Directorate, appear to contradict the German government's show
of surprise at the scale of the U.S. electronic snooping.

Germany has demanded explanations
for Snowden's allegations of large-scale spying by the NSA, and by Britain via
a programme codenamed 'Tempora', on their allies including Germany and other
European Union states, as well as EU institutions and embassies.

Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed
out during President Barack Obama's recent visit that Germany had avoided
terrorist attacks thanks to information from allies.

But she says there must be limits
to the intrusion on privacy and wants this discussed next week in parallel with
the start of EU-U.S. free trade talks.

Close allies: U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, toast during a dinner hosted by Merkel in honour of the Obamas at Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin on June 19, 2013

Berlin has alluded repeatedly to
‘Cold War’ tactics - Merkel used the term again on Saturday at a political
rally - and has said spying on friends is unacceptable. Her spokesman has said
a transatlantic trade deal requires a level of ‘mutual trust.’

Brazil is getting ready to demand
an explanation from the United States over report its citizens' electronic
communications have been under watch by U.S. spy agencies for at least ten
years, foreign minister Antonio Patriota said on Sunday.

Patriota's remarks were in response
to a report in the Globo daily newspaper on Sunday saying that the U.S.
National Security Agency has been monitoring the telephone and e-mail activity
of Brazilian companies and individuals as part of U.S. espionage activities.

The report cited documents obtained
from U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden, a former NSA intelligence contractor.

More accusations: Brazil's foreign minister Antonio Patriota, pictured, says the United States has been spying on Brazil's citizens' electronic communications for at least a decade

Patriota also said his government
plans to propose changes to international communications rules administered by
the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union to improve
communications secrecy, the statement said.

Brazil also plans to present
proposals to the United Nations to protect the privacy of electronic
communication.

‘The Brazilian government is
gravely concerned by the news that electronic and telephone communications of
Brazilian citizens are the objective of espionage efforts by U.S. intelligence
agencies,’ a foreign ministry statement said.

The Globo report did not say how
much traffic was monitored by NSA computers and intelligence officials. But the
article pointed out that in the Americas, Brazil was second only to the United
States in the number of transmissions intercepted.

In the 10-year period, the NSA
captured 2.3 billion phone calls and messages in the United States and then
used computers to analyze them for signs of suspicious activity, the paper
said.

In the United States, the NSA used
legal but secret warrants to compel communications companies to turn over
information about calls and emails for analysis.

Some access to Brazilian
communications was obtained through American companies that were partners with
Brazilian telecommunications companies, the paper reported, without identifying
the companies.

Speaking out: Activists from the Internet Party of Ukraine perform during a rally supporting Snowden in front of U.S. embassy, in Kiev on June 27, 2013

The Globo article was written by
Glenn Greenwald, Roberto Kaz and José Casado. Greenwald, an American who works for
Britain's Guardian newspaper and lives in Rio de Janeiro, was the journalist
who first revealed classified documents provided by Snowden, outlining the
extent of U.S. communications monitoring activity at home and abroad.

After providing the information to
Greenwald, Snowden fled the United States for Hong Kong and was most recently
seen in the transit area of the Moscow airport.

Snowden's U.S. passport has been
revoked. He has made asylum requests to several countries, including Ecuador,
Venezuela and Bolivia. Three countries - Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua -
have offered to give Snowden asylum.

Germany’s domestic intelligence
chief has said he knew nothing of such widespread surveillance by the NSA.

But German opposition parties -
with an eye on September's federal election - insist that somebody in Merkel's
office, where the German intelligence agencies are coordinated, must have known
what was going on.

The government did not immediately
respond to a request for comment on the Der Spiegel report, which follows a
report last week in French daily Le Monde saying France also had an extensive
surveillance programme.

Der Spiegel has reported that on an
average day, the NSA monitored about 20 million German phone connections and 10
million internet data sets, rising to 60 million phone connections on busy
days.

Protest: A member of German Piraten Partei holds the portraits of U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning and Snowden during a protest in Berlin's Tiergarten district on June 19, 2013

Germans are particularly sensitive
about eavesdropping because of the intrusive surveillance in the communist
German Democratic Republic (GDR) and during the Nazi era.

Snowden, a U.S. citizen, fled in
May a few weeks before the details he provided about the NSA were published and
is believed to have been holed up in Moscow airport since June 23.

Bolivia offered asylum on Saturday
to Snowden, joining leftist allies Venezuela and Nicaragua in defiance of
Washington, which is demanding his arrest for divulging details of the secret
U.S. spy programs.

Der Spiegel said the interview was
conducted while Snowden was living in Hawaii, via encrypted emails with U.S.
documentary maker Laura Poitras and hacker Jacob Appelbaum.

Snowden told them that America's
closest allies sometimes went even further than the NSA in their zeal for
gathering data.

The Tempora programme of Britain's
GCHQ eavesdropping agency is known in the intelligence world as a ‘full take.’

‘It sucks up all information, no
matter where it comes from and which laws are broken,’ Snowden said. ‘If you
send a data packet and goes through Britain, we'll get it. If you download
anything, and the server is in Britain, we'll get it.’

If the NSA is ordered to target an
individual, it virtually take over that person's data ‘so the target's computer
no longer belongs to him, it more or less belongs to the U.S. government.’